


Tik Tak Tik

by SamoShampioni



Series: Björkman's Empire [3]
Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Music RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 04:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1591061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamoShampioni/pseuds/SamoShampioni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was the night of the 2012 Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Amsterdam, and the organisers of the event had invited Loreen to perform there. Always wanting a chance to make his empire look good to the public, Björkman had practically forced her into it... not that she would have declined, either way. She had no choice in the matter. What Björkman wants, Björkman gets. That's the way things are now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tik Tak Tik

It had been nearly seven months since Björkman had established his reign of terror in Sweden. Such a short time, and yet he had irreversibly transformed the entire Nordic nation. Björkman practically owned the entire Swedish population. For those tired of the new regime, leaving the country was extremely difficult. To leave Sweden for any reason at all you had to submit an application for a permit to Christer Björkman himself. Most applications were rejected outright. And, if it did get accepted, most permits were temporary. There seemed to be no escape from the new Swedish empire...  
But for tonight, Loreen could forget all that, as she stood in the cold Dutch street, only the streetlights illuminating the darkness. She had been given a temporary pass... a brief reprieve from the tyranny of Björkman's Empire. It was the night of the 2012 Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Amsterdam, and the organisers of the event had invited Loreen to perform there. Always wanting a chance to make his empire look good to the public, Björkman had practically forced her into it... not that she would have declined, either way. She had no choice in the matter. What Björkman wants, Björkman gets. That's the way things are now.  
Entering the arena through the back door, everyone in the green room turned to stare at her. The hosts of the contest, Ewout and Kim-Lian, rushed over to greet her.  
"Loreen! Loreen!" Ewout said, "You're here at last, so good to see you!"  
"Yes, the show is starting soon!" Kim-Lian said, "Why on earth are you so late?!"  
Loreen tried to think of some excuse, some apology. But Kim-Lian had already read her like a book.  
"Ah," Kim said, "Björkman didn't allow you to be here any earlier."  
"That is correct," Loreen said.  
"Well, no worries, no harm done," Ewout said, "Let's just make sure this is the best Junior Eurovision ever, right?"  
"Right!" Loreen smiled.

\---

A little while later the show was nearly ready to begin. The singers and bands making sure everything was perfect, polishing their instruments, making sure everything was perfect. Because this was to be the performance of their lives.   
"Good luck everyone!" Loreen beamed, as the competitors prepared.  
"Thank you Loreen!" came the voices of many children in unison. Loreen smiled. How could the world be so nice at times and yet...  
Loreen sighed. She was worried about the Junior Eurovision. What would Björkman do? Maybe this contest would go fine. But then again, Björkman was unpredictable. He had been prepared to destroy nearly the entire Balkans just to gain more power...

\---

But, it seemed that the worrying was all for nothing. In fact, despite the worries of many, the contest passed by without incident. Björkman had attacked the Bundesvision, and interfered during Sunčane Skale, but he hadn't attacked the Junior Eurovision. Loreen felt relieved.  
'Even Björkman must have some morals,' Loreen thought to herself, 'Even he wouldn't attack a contest for children.'  
She stayed a little longer, at the after party of the contest, chatting to the entrants and generally having a good time. After all, her permit had stated that she was allowed to attend the after party if she so wished. 

\---

"I'm confused," the Dutch entrant, Femke, said to Loreen a little while later, "We were told Sweden is a bad country. But you seem nice, and the Swedish entrant, Lova, seems nice too."  
"Well, that's because she is," Loreen said, before adding, "Most people in Sweden are. Most Swedes want to live in peace just like everyone else, but one man is making Sweden do bad things."  
"Then... why do you support him?" Femke asked.  
It took Loreen a while to think of an answer to that.  
"We don't," Loreen said finally, "We don't have a choice anymore."  
"You are forced to?"  
"Yes," Loreen said, wondering just how much information she should say in the presence of children, "Many people in Sweden have been forced to do bad things. But a lot of us want him gone, me included."

\---

After the afterparty, Loreen stepped outside. She had expected to be allowed to roam freely in the Dutch capital, but there, waiting for her, was one of Björkman's robots. And there, standing next to it, was Christer Björkman himself. With the new technology that Björkman had created, the dictator could go anywhere, at any time. And they he was here. Just in case she had any thoughts of escaping into the Netherlands, Loreen guessed.  
"Christer..." Loreen said.  
"Yes, you ready to come home?!" Björkman grinned.  
Home. Loreen nearly laughed at that. Sweden hadn't been home for a long while.  
"Yes," Loreen said, as the Swedish entrant for the Junior contest, Lova, ran over to them.  
"Hello!" Lova said.  
"Yes, hello," Björkman beamed, "It's time for us to go home, little one."  
And a bright blue light encased them, as they all remateralised inside Björkman's palace. It had formerly been the home of the Swedish royal family, before Christer Björkman had them all executed in his uprising. Anyone even suspected of being related to the Swedish royal family immediately disappears from the streets these days. No one knows where they go.

\---

"Well Lova, you came sixth," Björkman said, "And that's very, very good! And do you know what kids who do a good job for the emperor get?"   
"What?" Lova asked.  
"A lollipop!" Christer said.  
"Thanks!" Lova smiled, taking the lollipop, "You're the best, Christer!"  
"Good good, now, this robot here will now teleport you to your home," Björkman said, "Run along now."  
"Yes, come Lova," said the robot.  
"Yippee!" and Lova went to the robot, before the both of them teleported away. Loreen and Björkman just stood there in silence for a few moments.  
"And you, Loreen, good job," Björkman laughed.   
Loreen sighed. She couldn't disobey, not now.   
"Thank you..." Loreen paused before adding, "Emperor..."  
Secretly she was ashamed with herself. She was planning to help the resistance in Sweden... one idea that had sprung up was to use the 2013 edition of Melodifestivalen to take down Christer Björkman's plans once and for all. But for now, they were just that, plans. It would take a lot of work to make the dream of a free Sweden into a reality. But Loreen was prepared for that. It just wasn't the right time. Yet.


End file.
